Apple today informed developers that it is making new App Store marketing tools available for use, providing developers with a simple way to create short links, embeddable code with app icon and product page, QR codes, and more.
Take advantage of new marketing resources to promote your apps around the world. You can now generate short links or embeddable code that lead to your App Store product page and display your app icon, a QR code, or an App Store badge. Download localized App Store badges, your app icon, and more.
Developers can enter the URL for their app on the marketing page, with Apple then providing tools to generate the aforementioned links and badges. QR codes in particular may be of interest to developers as these can be used to quickly find an app with a scan with an iPhone camera, and QR codes are also used for the App Clips feature introduced in iOS 14.
QR codes can be generated with different colors and with each app's icon for a unique, personalized look that takes seconds to create.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 8:55 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching.
In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart...
Sure! At least 0.000001% of it, anyway. In any case, developers can use QR codes or not, it’s optional ?♂️
Re: the 15 or 30% revenue share, here’s a partial list of what it pays for:
a secure, customer-trusted payment system; app hosting; APIs, libraries, compilers and other development tools; testing, interface libraries; simulators; security features; developer services, including customer support; and cloud services, including 1 petabyte of CloudKit storage.
Those are some of the things Epic thinks Apple should provide for free ?
btw, it’s worth mentioning that more than 80% of all app downloads pay nothing. Not 30%, not 15%—0%. Apple gets $0.00. Not a single penny.
If everyone did what Epic did and Apple App Store revenue went to zero, Apple would replace the ~15 billion they received somewhere else. Like add another $75—the “Epic tax”—onto the price of iPhones. ($100 in a couple years, and it would keep going up every year).
But that way Epic and other devs could get 100% of the revenue instead of only 70 or 85%. Epic might reduce the price of dances and outfits, maybe not.
I’d love to see a progressive model, where for indie developers that are just getting started Apple takes a reduced cut (say 10%) until a certain paid volume is hit. IE 150 app sales or something. Gives newbs a chance to launch something and try to earn their first year Apple Developer fee back.
